How Far We’ve Come
by untilmylastbreath
Summary: The rating may change, not good at summerys read to find out.
1. Happy Birthday Casey

How Far We've Come

**How Far We've Come**

**Chapter One: Happy Birthday Casey**

Casey McDonald rolled over and hit the snooze button on her alarm, today was her eighteenth birthday, and unfortunately she had school. She sat up stretching, before changing quickly, deciding to shower that night instead of risking Derek's obnoxious behavior. Her mother rapped lightly on the door to make sure she was getting ready for school, just as Casey was applying her strawberry lip gloss.

"Casey, darling are you up?"

"Yes Mum, just putting on my make-up."

"Alright, Happy Birthday Sweet heart."

"Thanks mum."

Nora's footsteps padded softly away and were replaced by Casey's door swing open with a bang as Edwin ran in to her room apparently escaping Derek's wrath.

"Happy Birthday, Sis." He said sliding under Casey's bed to hide

"EDWIN!" Derek yelled.

Storming up the stairs foot steps, thundering, loudly.

"What did you do?" Casey asked her bed skirt that hid her youngest stepbrother.

"I borrowed his leather jacket for my date last night and got mud on it." Came its muffled reply.

Derek march passed Casey's door and to the attic stairs.

"Edwin you have five seconds to get your butt down here." Derek called up to his brother.

"don't tell him where I am ok." Edwin said, with incredibly bad timing because just as he asked Casey for the favor Derek entered her room and sat on the bed. He winked at Casey, and Casey smiled at him both new where Edwin was and what was going to happen.

"Case, have you seen Ed? He borrowed my jacket with out permission, and I wanted to have a chat with him."

"Sorry Derek, I just got out of _bed_."

"Ok, well, happy birthday." Derek stood up and hugged Casey, after living together for three years they had finally become friend's they weren't close per say but they were friends and as far as the rest of the family was concerned that was all that mattered. "I have your present down stairs for later ok."

"OK, thanks" and that was when Derek made his move reaching under the bed and pulling Edwin out by his shirt collar.

"BUSTED!"

"Crap."

Derek swung Edwin over his shoulder with ease thanks to his hockey muscles and smiled his goodbyes while Edwin shout obesities apparently instant that him being found was Casey's fault, Casey finished getting ready and went down stairs to breakfast, everyone was at the table waiting for her except Derek, who was in the kitchen talking on the phone to who Casey could only assume was Sally, even though Derek and Sally had broken up when Sally moved to Vancouver for collage were still good friends (they even told each other about relationship problems.)

"Yeah she just got up you want to talk to her." Derek said backing into the dinning room opening the closed door with his toned butt, he had the phone wedged between his shoulder and a tray of pancakes in his hands. He sat the tray down on the table and said a quick goodbye and handed Casey the phone winking as Casey smiled at the fact that Derek had cooked before taking the phone.

"Hi Sal."

"Happy Birthday Case!"

"Thanks."

They talked for about five minutes before Casey hung up and the family begin breakfast in silence, about ten minutes into the meal however Casey couldn't hold on to it any longer.

"Derek was you cooking my birthday present?"

"No, me cooking was my way of getting Nora out of the kitchen so I could confirm your birthday present."

"Really, wait why did you need to confirm my birthday present?"

"Because you are suppose to confirm you flight at least twelve ours before it leaves." Said Derek tossing to plane tickets across the table at Casey. "We are going to Vegas Baby."

"No way!" Casey squealed excitedly.

"Yes way, and Sam and Emily are coming to, we leave tonight at nine, I suggest you go pack I give you a ride to school."


	2. New Aspects of a Friendship

**How Far We've Come**

**Chapter two: New aspects of a friendship**

Casey was finally home from school arms full of baked good's from her friends, and Emily trailing behind her reading birthday cards aloud as Derek held the door open for them laughing at the message on the card from Tinker, some random thing about how her beauty makes heavens light dim, while Sam followed on the phone to his mother arguing about something on the phone.

"No, mum, mum listen to me, I didn't take Jessie's car key's I didn't even take any keys, Derek drove." He argued trying in vain to keep the conversation private.

"Um, Sam?" Casey laughed "You have your sisters key's in your back pocket."

"Huh! Oh crap, sorry mum I must have picked them up by mistake I'll bring them round now if you want." Sam's mother could be heard laughing through the phone before he hung up. "Derek can I borrow you car for like ten minutes to take the key home?"

"Yep." Derek nodded tossing the keys blindly at his friend who caught them no problem. "Don't be to long remember we're all going out for dinner with Casey before the plane leaves and we have to be there two hours before."

"Ok, it should only take a minute." As soon as Sam was out the door Derek turned to Casey and smiled.

"Now, the fact that we paid for you is your birthday present but the trip is a gift for all of us since we are all eighteen now, so remember how Dad and Nora gave me a thousand dollars for my birthday?"

Derek pulled a large battered looking envelope out of his pocket.

"This," he said handing it to Casey "is yours." Casey opened the envelope Gorge and Nora had given her the same gift as they had given Derek. "They gave me only one rule for you and that was to make sure you blow it on this trip."

"Thank you, Derek." Casey said toughing her arms around Derek's neck, Emily glared at the back of her head but Neither Derek who was now hugging Casey back or Casey caught it.

"Your welcome but it's from Nora and Dad you know?"

"I know, but you know since wee stopped fighting and became friends you have been nothing but the best guy friend in the world, and I'm sorry for being such a bitch before."

Before Derek could say anything to that Sam honked the car horn from out side to warn them it was time to go. Derek seemed to consider continuing exploring this new level of their friend ship but decided against it.

"Where's you bag I'll grab it and meat you in the car?" was the first thing out of his mouth, Emily sighed inaudibly and Casey smile fell slightly but answered anyway.

"On my bed, what about Em's?"

"It's in the Car already Case." Emily answered throwing her self in to the conversation. "Sam got it earlier."

Derek ran up the stairs and Casey and Emily went to the car, Casey road shot gun and Derek drove Sam and Emily were in the back, all of them were talking excitedly about the trip and the fact that Sam had managed to get tickets to the _'Cirque de Soleil, LOVE' _at the Mirage. They arrived at the airport two hours early like they were suppose to and got through security with no problem except for a small bottle of body spray in Emily's hand bag. Then Derek and Sam sat at the gate while Casey and Emily walked around and around seven they decided to find some where to eat. They had decided to get something at the airport rather then eat to early and end up hungry later, it was Casey's idea but the group had agreed, they found a decent looking place and ordered, the waiter flirted with Casey a bit and she flirted back, they ate and the waiter left his number on the recite after they paid and left Emily and Casey were laughing over whether or not to call him later just for fun, as Casey had no real interest in him.

"What do you think, Derek?" Emily laughed "call him up and him and Casey can have some kinky phone sex." At this both Emily and Casey burst out laughing.

"That would be cruel Case get the poor guy all jacked up and then not even put out for real." Sam Laughed with them, Derek laughed to but his seemed a little force lucky for him no one notice, when they got back to the gat their plane started boarding. The Gang looked at their tickets to find their seat number Derek and Casey were in seats 9A and 9B Emily was in seat 11D and Sam was in 20C, so they said their good buys and decided to meet at the baggage claim when they got off it they somehow got separated.

"Hello, Guys and welcome to Canadian Airline's international flight 7922 to Las Vegas, Nevada." The flight attendant spoke into the microphone from the front of the plane, before we depart we have to go over some safety instructions so that we are prepared for the unlikely event of an accident." The women went over the all the details of an evacuation and how to work the seat belt then asked if everyone in an exit row was ok with what they were expected to do incase of an emergency. "Right now that's over we are next in line for take off, we are expected to arrive in Vegas at about 6am tomorrow morning, so we ask that the windows remain closed we don't want a rude shock from that early morning American sun." the flight attendant shut off the microphone and took her seat. As the plane speed down the runway and started to life off the ground Casey grabbed Derek's hand in fear and he rubbed small circles on the back of her and to comfort her, Casey calmed down once the flight attendant announced that they had reached the correct altitude.

"You ok now?" Derek asked concerned.

"Yeah, the flying part is fine it's the take off and landing that I can't stand."

"Well you can hold my hand when were landing to." Derek offered, and Casey smiled.

It wasn't long before Casey was sleeping soundly on Derek's shoulder and he was resting his head atop of hers snoring lightly. They ended up sleeping the whole flight in fact it wasn't until Sam and Emily walked pasted and noticed their sleeping friend they the woke up, to the bright flash of Sam's camera and happy laughing, Emily laughed to but it never reached her eye's, but Casey and Derek were to embarrassed to notice this.

"I HATE, YOU GIVE ME THAT!" Derek and Casey yelled in unison chasing Sam off the plane, Laughing.

**AN:** Hope you like it, I worked really hard on it, it's not my best work it's a filler chapter really, just to show you that Emily and Casey are experiencing a little tension in their friendship and Derek and Casey getting closer.

_untilmylastbreath_


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